Mirrored Hell
by Akiko Natsuko
Summary: Sequel to 'Beginnings'. Set after the events of SB;The Last Party. Oushu and Kai are in the process of unification, when a new enemy appears from the shadows and threatens to overwhelm both them and the entire Land of the Rising sun. The pairing is DateSana. Rated M to be safe. Disclaimer: I don't own SB or its characters, but the OC is all mine.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Sengoku Basara or any of its characters. I do claim credit for my OC though.

NB. This is a sequel to my story 'Beginnings' but can be read independently, although the prologue will make slightly less sense.

_Prologue:_

_Since the Battle of Serigakawa the Land of the Rising sun had settled down into a state of relative peacefulness. The individual warlords continued to battle for land and the right to reach the capital, but these were battles of normal scales…not the all-encompassing battles that the Devil King and the Toyotomi had caused. _

_It had been nearly a year since the shooting incident, and the relationship between Sanada Yukimura and Date Masumune and their respective lands and people had gone from strength to strength. In light of this, the decision had finally been made to begin the official process of unification of Oushu and Kai, a move strongly supported by Usegi Kenshin and Tokugawa Ieyasu._

SBSB

Yukimura moved determinedly through his spear practice, trying to stop his thoughts drifting to Masumune. The other teen was visiting Oushu to deal with some minor lords that were being difficult about the unification of their lands, and had been delayed by the debates, leaving Yukimura on his own for more than a week. Sasuke was absent as well, as they'd thought it was best to introduce him to the Date army so that no one mistook him for an enemy shinobi... which meant that the younger teen was incredibly bored and keenly looking forward to his lover's return.

"Taishou!" The alarmed cry made him whirl both weapons held at the ready, pulling himself up short as one of Sasuke's ninjas dropped down in front of him, an anxious expression on his face as bowed to the teen.

"The outer villages are under attack," the shinobi reported and Yukimura bit back an angry snarl at the news, his temper flaring at the thought of someone trying to involve innocents in a conflict.

"Who's leading them?" He demanded wondering who would dare attack Kai's civilians, especially as there had been no indication of an attack despite his skilled Ninja Corps. His grip on the spears tightened as he considered the possibility that someone was trying to take advantage of Date's absence.

"Unknown, they're not flying any recognizable flags and we've been unable to identify the leader." Yukimura frowned, it was rare for anyone to attack without declaring themselves, especially since the end of the Oda and Toyotomi periods and it was making him feel uneasy.

"Order the men out to the villages under attack," he ordered as he quickly took stock of the situation. "And send a man out towards Oushu, Masumune and Sasuke might be on their way back." He hoped they were because every part of him was screaming that there was something more to this than a simple attack, and he knew that if that was the case it was foolish to face it entirely alone.

The shinobi bowed his head in acknowledgement and made to move, but Yukimura hesitated as he made to follow, it made little sense for people to attack the outer villages, especially if they were only intent on causing damage as his scout reported.

"Go ahead, I need to investigate something first," he shouted to the shinobi who nodded before disappearing to carry out his orders. Trusting that his men would be able to repel the attack, he stepped out of the main gate and looked around at the quiet village; why had the main village not been attacked? If they were trying to take Kai it would make more sense to take this village first, a sudden explosion rent the air, killing his thoughts as one of the outlying buildings went up in flames. "Damn," he cursed dashing towards the village as it came alive, the wooden buildings meaning that the fire was already spreading rapidly.

"Get into the complex," he ordered the women that were herding the children away from the burning buildings, and they hastened to obey as he headed towards the village. Forcing himself to ignore the frantic efforts of the villagers to quell the flames licking hungrily at the wooden buildings, certain now that whomever was attacking would come searching for him and keen to avoid getting innocent bystanders involved in the conflict that would result.

SB

A terrified shriek attracted his attention and he quickly moved towards it, scrubbing at his eyes as the smoke threatened to blind him. Hands tightened on his spears as he stepped into an open area between two houses, his eyes narrowing in fury as he found the source of the shriek. Four children, all of them looking to be little older than eight or nine were huddled desperately against one wall, a tall man towering between them and escape, twin katanas pointed in their direction.

"Who are you?" Yukimura demanded loudly and the man's attention instantly swung to him, eerily familiar eyes narrowing as a malicious smirk spread across his face. The teen glanced briefly at the kids noting that they were frozen in place, fear written across their faces and he realized that they weren't going to make a break for it even with the man distracted. He wanted to curse as he knew that he wouldn't be able to fight all out whilst the children were nearby, there was too much of a risk that they would be pulled into the carnage.

"Sanada Yukimura I presume?" The man's voice was like cloaked steel, a velvety purr with an underlying coldness that set Yukimura's nerves on edge. Slowly he stepped away from the children his entire focus on Yukimura who readied his spears.

"I asked first," he pointed out as he took a couple of steps back, he needed to put some distance between them and the children and soon. The man didn't answer, instead choosing to charge with a snarl and Yukimura hastily brought his spears up to block the furious attack, gritting his teeth as he was turned back towards the children. Furiously he slashed out wildly, breaking the attack and forcing the other to retreat a couple of steps. However, the man swiftly rallied and they locked weapons once more as they strained for superiority over the other.

SBSB

Meanwhile the party from Oushu were nearing the borders of Kai after Date had insisted that they return after a day of uneasy thoughts. They had just crossed the border when one of Yukimura's shinobi's appeared before them, halting the group immediately as Sasuke darted forward to meet his subordinate, amber eyes quickly taking in the faint concern in the other man's eyes.

"Report," he barked sparing a quick glance at Date, noting the concern taking root on the teen's face as Kojuro moved closer to listen.

"Kai's under attack although we're not sure by whom," the ninja reported promptly, wincing slightly at the disappointment evident in Sarutobi's face. "Most of the attack has focused on the outlying villages, but I just got word that the main village is also under attack."

"Where is Sanada?" Date growled out, his hands clenching on his sword hilts as anger and fear warred within him. He knew that they should have returned sooner, and he silently cursed each and every one of the lords that had protested the unification t

"Last I heard he was protecting the main village, but he's sent most of the forces to the outer villages." The words sent dread through the group, it was such a Yukimura like action but it meant that he was now potentially alone and vulnerable.

"Sarutobi go on ahead," Date barked even as he spurred his horse forward, Kojuro and the rest of his men swiftly following. Without a word Sasuke disappeared into the shadows, swiftly overtaking the group as he bounded through the trees. Both groups praying that the hotheaded teen could hold out until they reached him.

SBSB

Yukimura cursed as he staggered back, barely escaping the bite of the twin swords constantly threatening to break through his defenses. It was infuriating and he longed to fight at full strength, but from the corner of his eye he could see that the children were still huddled against the wall clearly too afraid to move to safety. He gritted his teeth wishing that they would move, but not in a position to do anything about it at the moment. A second later his attention was brought back to the fight as one of the swords drew a line of fire across his arm, and he slashed out wildly as he muffled a moan of pain.

"I expected more from the Tiger of Kai," his opponent taunted his dark eyes mocking as he watched Yukimura tighten his hold on his spears, fury shining in the brown eyes that locked onto him. Angry at his own distraction Yukimura sprang forward once more, both spears whirling in a deadly dance as he strove desperately to drive the man back and away from the children.

"Why do you fight for them?" The man demanded seeing through the teen's moving, and darting between the deadly dance to drive them back towards the trapped children.

"They aren't a part of this," Yukimura growled out allowing a flash of his power to come out to play in the hopes of regaining the distance.

"Careful Sanada," his opponent sneered disengaging for a brief second to send a sickly yellow blast towards the children, and without thinking or hesitation Yukimura flung himself into the past of the attack. Pain exploded through his body as he was flung forcefully into one of the houses, skidding to a halt in a pile of rubble as a wild cry of pain fell from bloody lips.

SB

Slowly he pushed himself back to his feet using his spears for support as he staggered free from the rubble, his eyes narrowing with fury as he stared at his approaching opponent. He didn't like the situation one bit, it reminded to closely of the tactics that Akechi had used against his former lord, but for the moment there was nothing he could do about it especially as the man was clearly not going to budge from his position of strength. Praying that Sasuke or Date would return from Oushu in time he made to step forward to re-engage the other, only to stumble down onto one knee as his legs gave way beneath and only a desperate hand on his spears stopped his descent.

"Oh my, is that all the mighty Crimson Devil has to offer?" The man questioned as he came to a halt, watching with cold amusement as Yukimura tried to heave himself back to his feet. "I truly expected more from the one who helped defeat Oda Nobunaga and Motonori Mori," there was a bitterness to the words and an edge in his voice as he mentioned the Devil King and Yukimura froze as a grim idea sparked in the back of his mind.

"Who are you?" Yukimura demanded again, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he closely examined his opponents face for the first time – something familiar about the features only adding to the sense of dread. The man smirked, dark eyes glittering with a mix of amusement and triumph as he loomed over Yukimura.

"I am Oda Katsuro," he replied in an amused voice, watching as Yukimura's eyes widened with realization and horror. For his part Yukimura had to hold back a curse, how had they missed the continued existence of the Oda clan? The similarities were more evident now, and he spared a brief thought to having words with his Ninja corps about the fact that they had never uncovered even a hint of this.

Gritting his teeth to hold back a groan and stubbornly ignoring the pain screaming at him from numerous places on his body, Yukimura forced himself back to his feet, using a spear to steady himself whilst he pointed the other at Katsuro.

"Are you planning to emulate the Devil King?" He asked, not sure if he expected an answer or not and slightly more focused on how his hand holding the spear at Katsuro was trembling violently.

"No, Sanada Yukimura, I intend to surpass him," Katsuro snarled and charged forwards, his swords weaving in a deadly pattern that Yukimura found himself desperately trying to defend against. The flurried attack was driving him backwards, and the cold bite of steel in his shoulder told him that his defenses had failed. The dull thud of his spear hitting the ground hammered home that failure, as did second bite of steel in his thigh. With a muted cry he was forced to his knees, releasing his hold on the second spear as he braced himself; gasping as the impact shook his wounded body.

SB

Pain and blood loss was making his mind hazy and he could feel even darker shadows creeping in on him as he struggled to remain on his knees. Stubbornly clinging to consciousness he tried to reach out for his other spear, knowing that he had to get back on his feet, especially with Katsuro stalking towards him. His fingers fumbled, and his opponent darted forward, swiftly kicking the spear out of the way before whirling and sending the other one flying with a fierce kick.

Yukimura could only stare after his spears, his clouded mind struggling to connect the events as dread settled over him. The next moment he found himself falling backwards onto the ground, a groan escaping as the impact sent pain through his body. Fearfully he stared up at his opponent as he approached, all too aware of his vulnerability and fighting back his body's desire to shake.

"Don't worry Sanada I don't intend to kill you," Katsuro whispered as he pressed one blade against the teen's chest as he towered over him. "At least not tonight," he amended with a demonic grin which reminded Yukimura once more of Akechi and made him bit his lips nervously. To let him live when he was in such a helpless position meant that something much larger and probably much worse was in the works.

"What is it that you do want?" He asked after a long moment of silence, wincing at the unsteadiness of his voice but determinedly meeting the dark eyes that were watching him, unnerved by the gleeful gleam in them.

"To send a message to all those who opposed the Oda clan, especially you and your beloved Dokurangu," Katsuro purred and Yukimura was unable to prevent himself tensing in alarm, he didn't want to be used as a weapon against Date, especially as he knew just how effective that would be. Unfortunately the other man noted his response and mocking laughter rang out as he leant down to run a finger across Yukimura's face, and the teen couldn't hide the fear that flashed through his eyes. "Don't worry you won't have to do a thing," he comforted although the cold, mocking edge to his voice produced the opposite effect and a tremble worked its way through the teen's body/

SB

Suddenly the second blade was laid against his face and Yukimura instinctively tried to flinch away from the cold metal. However, cruel fingers dug into his chin holding him in place and he tensed in sudden fear. The dark eyes staring down at him were alight with unholy amusement and he knew that whatever was about to happen, was going to be bad.

"You're going to be the message," Katsuro hissed cruelly and before Yukimura could react the blade struck as quick as lightning. Unbelievable pain made him cry out, a wordless shriek of agony as the sword slashed across his face. At once the vision in his left eye disappeared into crimson and fire roared across his skin, the blow destroying his eye and leaving a gash from his head down to his chin. The pain was all-consuming, and he clutched at his face. Not noticing as the hand and sword holding him in place were removed until he tipped forward, jarring his injuries and drawing another cry of pain from him.

SBSBSB


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sengoku Basara and its characters aren't mine, I have merely borrowed them. I do claim credit for Katsuro though

SB

"_You're going to be the message," Katsuro hissed cruelly and before Yukimura could react the blade struck as quick as lightning. Unbelievable pain made him cry out, a wordless shriek of agony as the sword slashed across his face. At once the vision in his left eye disappeared into crimson and fire roared across his skin, the blow destroying his eye and leaving a gash from his head down to his chin. The pain was all-consuming, and he clutched at his face. Not noticing as the hand and sword holding him in place were removed until he tipped forward, jarring his injuries and drawing another cry of pain from him._

SBSB

"Isn't this a lovely sight," Katsuro purred and Yukimura tensed as he sensed the man leaning over him, an instinctive flinch going through him as he felt a hand brush against his face, fresh fire flaring through the torn skin. "I'm sure Dokurangu will appreciate it too, especially as you make a matching set." The pain was shoved aside as the taunting words registered, and Yukimura furiously batted the hand away from him before lashing out with his legs – a startled grunt telling him that he found his target.

Wiping blood away from his good eye, Yukimura forced his reluctant body to move. Ignoring the shadows that flickered in his vision he reached for the closest spear, pulling it to him with desperate fingers before using it to propel himself upright.

"I'm going to kill you," Yukimura snarled, crimson light flickering weakly around him as he stood on unsteady legs. Fury spread across his opponents face at his continued defiance, and the teen felt a flicker of satisfaction at the reaction. The distant sound of horses captured his attention for a brief second and he felt a surge of hope, and quickly he swung his attention back to Katsuro. Without stopping to think about it, knowing that hesitation would only hasten his defeat he charged, fury propelling him past the pain and darkness. He had to buy himself time.

SB

Date cursed as he took in the sight of the burning buildings, the villagers fighting desperately to contain the blaze before it could consume the entire village. His eye narrowing as he took in the fact that there was little evidence of fighting, urgently seeking for the crimson flare that would indicate his lover's presence.

"Kojuro take the men and help with the fires," he barked after a moment and the older man nodded before splitting off with the rest of the men. Trusting his men to bring the blaze under control he slid from his horse and drew his blade, not trusting the apparent lack of fighting. "Yukimura!" He called urgently, ignoring the villages as he moved swiftly past them, coughing as he pressed into the cloud of smoke filling the air.

SBSB

Yukimura could feel himself being pushed backwards as Katsuro's blade's lodged in the shaft of his spear, his arms shaking wildly as he strained to hold the other back. Silently he prayed that he hadn't imagined the horses earlier, and that reinforcements were on the way especially as he slid back a couple more steps.

"DANNA!" The familiar cry from the distance distracted him and Katsuro took advantage of the slight hesitation to send him flying with a well-aimed kick to the stomach, which left the teen gasping for air as he tried desperately to ride out the fresh wave of pain.

"It seems as though the cavalry has arrived, pass my message on won't you," Katsuro hissed as he leant down over Yukimura for a moment, the teen flinching in fear at the familiar position. However, a moment later the other man straightened with a slight laugh and melted away into the shadows between the buildings.

Breathing heavily the teen forced his protesting body into an upright position, one arm instinctively wrapping itself around his newly bruised stomach. A faint groan escaped through parted lips as his body protested the movement and for a moment his vision dimmed to black, however, he was jolted back into reality a moment later when cool hands brushed his face. Wearily he blinked as Sasuke's face swam into sight above him, the Shinobi's face a mask of fury as concerned amber eyes took in his pitiful state. Just the sight of his ninja was enough to give him strength and he chased the shadows back with a determined shake of his head, now was not the time to fall apart.

"Sasuke find him," He managed to force out, his voice coming out more as a croak as he weakly indicated the direction that Katsuro had taken. For a moment Sasuke hesitated, the reluctance clear in his eyes but then with a sigh and a muttered order to stay where he was the ninja took off in pursuit of Katsuro.

Satisfied that his shadow would track his attacker, and secure in the knowledge that Masumune wouldn't be far behind his ninja the teen slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. Wavering he shuffled his battered body backwards until he could slump against the remnants of the wall he'd gone through earlier. Using the wall to remain upright he weakly grasped his spear, absently noting that the shaft had sheared off part way down. Despite the damage he pulled it across his lap - he doubted his ability to defend himself at the moment, but he was damned if he was going to let himself be finished off at this stage.

SB

Tentively he raised a hand to his face, skating over the wound marring his face with trembling fingers, wincing as they came away stained with crimson. A quick glance down showed that the rest of his body wasn't in much better condition, his armour was rent open in numerous places, and crimson stained the white of his trousers. It occurred to him that he should probably try and put pressure on the worst of the wounds, but even as the thought appeared it was lost in the haze spreading through his mind.

SBSB

"Yukimura!" Masumune yelled as he tried to see through the increasing smoke, biting back a curse as his eye began to water hindering his search even further. Grimly he tightened his hold on his sword as he pressed on, forcing back the concern that was threatening to overwhelm him the longer it took to find his lover, and silently he promised that if anything had happened to the younger teen then he was going to take it out on the obstinate lords that had delayed his return. "YUKIMURA!"

"So the One-eyed dragon returns," the mocking voice made him freeze, peering round with a narrowed eye as he tried to identify where it came from. As he watched a shape appeared amongst the billowing smoke, and he tensed as he took in the newcomer's blood-stained swords, and the damage to his armour, his temper rising as he noted the distinctive gashes that he knew came from Yukimura's spears.

"Who are you?" He ground out, gripping the sword hilt so tightly he was surprised that it didn't shatter. This was the one responsible for the attack on Kai, he could feel in in his gut, just as he knew that the blood on the twin katanas belonged to Yukimura and that knowledge nearly tipped his temper over the edge. Only the need to find out what had happened to the other teen was allowing him to keep a slight leash on the anger.

"I've left a message for you," the man replied mockingly, seemingly unfazed by the fury in the blue eye that was fixated on him and Date bit back a snarl as faint blue energy began to play around him. His control was slipping and he knew it, his grip on his sword intensifying as he forced himself to remain in place.

"What did you do to him?" He demanded instead, the emphasis on message gave him hope that his lover was alive, but he didn't like the implication that Yukimura had been used just to deliver a message. It brought to mind how Mitsunari had attacked others in order to gain his attention, only this time the blow was much closer to home.

"You'll see soon enough," the man replied calmly, a small smile playing across his lips. "I'm sure we'll be **seeing** each other soon enough," he added and before Date could formulate a response he was gone, disappearing back into the smoke-filled shadows. The teen glared after him for a moment, fury making him want to chase after him before common sense sank in and returned to his search with a fresh sense of urgency.

SB

"Yukimura!" There was desperation in his voice now, the fear triggered by the previous encounter nearly overwhelming as he searched frantically for the other teen.

"Masu…mune-dono," the weak whisper stopped him in his tracks as he emerged from between two buildings, his eye widening as he took in the devastation before his focus snapped to the partially collapsed house across the way as familiar crimson caught his gaze. Swiftly he covered the distance, but came up short as he finally saw his lover.

The younger teen was slumped against the wall, and it was clear from the way he sat that it was the only thing keeping him upright. His head had slumped forwards against his chest hiding his face from view, and a broken spear lay across his lap, held loosely in place with a limp hand. The familiar crimson armour was dented and tattered, with crimson of another form marking the numerous injuries that covered him.

"Yukimura," he whispered as his sword dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers, fear lancing through him as he took in the state of the other teen. The sudden noise drew a slight groan out of the other and Date forced himself to move, crouching by Yukimura's side as the brunette weakly moved. "Yukimura look at me," he ordered softly and after a moment the younger teen shook his head slightly, a whimper escaping him at the movement and Date frowned at the refusal. Needing to see the other's eyes to reassure himself that the other was alive, albeit battered he reached out and gently tilted the other's head upwards.

At once he felt as though the air had been knocked out of him, as he stared in uncomprehending horror at the vicious wound marring the left side of his lover's face. With trembling fingers he traced the gash that extended from the blood-stained tresses down to Yukimura's chin, realizing as he did so that the eye was a lost cause. His breath hitched as a weak hand reached up to grasp his, and he blinked as found Yukimura watching him blearily.

"It looks worse that it is," Yukimura murmured softly as he attempted a weak smile, unfortunately the effort came out more as a grimace as his body sent out a chorus of complaints. Date couldn't believe that the other teen was attempting to comfort him when he was the one that needed to be taken care of, and it only fanned the need to hunt down the one that had done this.

"What is his name?" He ground after a moment and Yukimura blinked in confusion. "I ran into him on the way to find you," he explained and frowned when Yukimura tensed with a look of fear on his face, before sighing as he realized that the idiot was worried about him. "I'm fine," he added in exasperation which turned to fondness when the other sank back in relief.

"Oda Katsuro," the quiet reply hung in the air between them for a long moment before Date growled furiously, his free hand reaching instinctively for his weapons.

"You mean to tell me that bastard had a child?" He ground out, unable to believe that yet again the shadow of the Devil King was reaching out to them. Silently Yukimura nodded, however, a moment later he whimpered as the slight movement triggered a fresh wave of pain that nearly sent him spiraling into unconsciousness.

"Idiot stay still," Masamune scolded, his fury firmly derailed for now as he focused on the injured teen, noting that Yukimura had begun to shiver. Scowling at the visible damage and all too aware that more lay hidden beneath the other's armour he swiftly shed his coat, wrapping it tenderly around the other despite the feeble protests. "Where's that damn Monke…" He trailed off as Sasuke suddenly materialized beside them, ignoring the glower that the ninja shot at him before turning to focus on Yukimura.

"Danna…" Sasuke trailed off as he also took in the full extent of the damage, hissing in fury as he realized what the wound on his general's face had done.

"Did you manage to track him?" Yukimura asked unsteadily, turning his gaze towards his Shinobi who scowled as he shook his head.

"No he managed to slip away," Sasuke growled, amber eyes blazing with a mixture of shame at his own failure and fury that the man had managed to escape. "I've sent men out to search," he added and both teens could hear the conflict in his voice, knowing that he had been torn between tracking the attacker and protecting Yukimura.

"We need a healer," Masamune said firmly, deciding that any other discussions would wait until Yukimura was well enough to participate fully and Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"I'll find one," he promised before disappearing again. Trusting that the ninja wouldn't be long Date turned his focus to keeping the other teen awake, noting that Yukimura was fading rapidly now that he knew he was safe.

"Stay awake," he ordered urgently as he squeezed the hand holding his, trying unsuccessfully to stop his thoughts straying back to when Yukimura was shot. The younger teen blinked up at him before returning the gesture, unable to find the energy to respond verbally. The world around him was turning hazy again, and he knew that this time he wouldn't be able to avoid the encroaching shadows.

SBSB


End file.
